Designing the future of cities in the twenty-first century: this is the task taken on by the Internationale Bauausstellung (International Building Exhibition) IBA Hamburg. Its projects make an innovative and sustainable contribution to current metropolitan development issues. In the heart of the Hanseatic city of Hamburg, the IBA Hamburg is presenting, until 2013, more than sixty building, social, and cultural projects and programmes to demonstrate how major cities can undergo ecologically and socially balanced growth in the present day. Covering 35 square kilometres, the IBA’s project site on Hamburg’s Elbe Islands of Wilhelmsburg and Veddel, as well as the Harburg upriver port, is intended to provide a role model for sustainable, future-oriented inner city development. These islands are home to around 55,000 people from more than 100 countries.

With this, the seventh volume in the METROPOLIS: series, the IBA Hamburg, in its presentation year, 2013. provides an annotated overview of the projects and the three themes: Cosmopolis, Metrozones, and Cities and Climate Change.

In keeping with the tradition and commitment to quality of the “IBA brand,” this volume presents an innovative review of planning and construction as well as venturing an initial reflection, both internal and external, on the seven-year development and implementation process. Not least, METROPOLIS: BUILDING THE CITY ANEW recognises the involvement and commitment of all those whose participation has played such a key role in the success of the IBA Hamburg. And, looking ahead, the first responses to the question “Where do we go from here?” are already right there.